As the saying goes, “There’s no place like home.” But for the Rangers, playing on the road has been just as kind.
The team boasts almost identical home (19-7-2) and road (19-7-3) records this season. Tonight, the Rangers begin a two-game road trip in Pittsburgh (7:00, MSG, ESPN 1050 AM), where they have won their last five games.
The success on the road wasn’t evident from the start of the season, as the Rangers dropped their first three games away from Madison Square Garden — two of which came on a different continent (Europe).
“I think last year we were really good on the road and that kind of carried into this year,” defenseman Marc Staal said after practice yesterday. “I think our starts have been solid on the road. Not getting that crowd into it, making sure we are ready to go when we step into someone else’s building and try to take the momentum right off the start. Personally, I enjoy playing on the road. I think it puts less pressure on you. You just go out there and play.”
The Rangers play seven of their next 10 games on the road. With a nine-point lead in the Conference, they are a virtual lock for the playoffs. But the difference between playoff teams and Stanley Cup-winning teams is the ability to win on the road in the playoffs. Last year, the Rangers lost in five games to the Capitals in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, dropping all three games on the road.
Mike Rupp, one of three current Rangers who has won a Stanley Cup, acknowledged the significance of road victories, even though he was on a team that won the Stanley Cup despite a sub-par playoff road record of 4-7.
“I think it’s important to play well on the road,” he said. “When [the Devils] won in 2003, we were 12-1 at home. And in the finals was all home teams winning, but you don’t want it to be about that. You’ve got to find ways to win on the road.”
The 19 road wins and 41 road points both rank second in the league to Vancouver (20 wins, 42 points).